This invention pertains to indicia recording apparatus and more particularly to such apparatus which records indicia on a photo-sensitive record medium through the agency of a light emitting means.
A very common kind of non-impact recording device utilizes photo-techniques wherein a light source is used to record on a photo-sensitive surface whether it be a photographic film or a xerographic medium. One common device is a photo-typesetter or pattern generator. Generally such devices employ a cathode ray tube which is raster scanned and intensity modulated to produce the patterns of light that are exposed to a photographic film. While such devices have performed admirably they have the limitation of being able to record on only a relatively narrow width of film. Generally such devices can "print" on widths of up to about 11 or 12 inches utilizing fixed optical techniques. There have been proposals to increase the recording width by using complex optical systems with pluralities of fixed and moving mirrors as well as prisms to obtain the width. Such systems are shown in my U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,562,718 and 3,621,137. While such systems work in theory they are difficult to fine tune to the point where the separate projections abut. In order to solve that problem my U.S. Pat. No. 3,692,935 utilizes a cylindrical support medium for the record medium. The support medium is rotated while a cathode ray tube is focused on its surface. In order to obtain line-by-line recording the entire support medium is axially moved after the recording of each line. This solution presents several problems. First of all, the mechanical movement of the support medium is quite complex since the structure itself is massive. In addition continuous feeds of a whole roll of film are not possible since the drum will only support a single sheet of film.